Melvern Taylor

With a name like Melvern Taylor, a band called the Fabulous Meltones, and a voice as smooth, airy and rounded as a tropical breeze, it’s hard to resist using words like mellifluous, mellow and meltingly beautiful to describe the suite of songs Taylor introduced to a welcoming audience at the Press Room on July 19. Taylor and his crew took the stage with an ease that matched the lazy summer evening, playing to a welcoming audience, including some who made the trek from Taylor’s hometown of Lowell, Mass. The Meltones set the tropical mood in matching guyaberas, while Taylor kept up his usual high sartorial standard in a black suit, wide red-and-black tie with natty pin, and ever-present porkpie hat.

Celebrating the re-release of “Fabuloso,” this time on Platform One, the show featured almost all 12 tracks from the album. These were sweetly catchy tunes, paired with note-perfect lead and backing vocals that communicate but never overstate.

Taylor’s influences—anything under the umbrella of 20th-century American pop—were discernible, but never dominated enough to hide the originality of the Meltones’ smooth combo sound. Wisps of Beatle-esque melodies, Elvis Costello-ish vocals, and doo-wop rhythm bass and wailing flitted by, each contributing a little musical nostalgia to the overall effect, but never getting in the way. Taylor’s floaty ukulele threaded the varied elements together like flowers on a lei.

Though the band created a smooth, pleasant wave-on-the-beach wash of sound, listeners were rewarded by staying focused on listening to the wit and heart of Taylor’s well-crafted lyrics. The love songs—just about all of them, that is—are achingly pretty but stay far from the saccharine. These are realistic love songs, clever and honest, talking of love fueled by “gas station roses and screw-top wine” and sheepishly sharing stories of bar hookups with ladies described as “100 pounds of silicone and heroin.” The blend of grit and gorgeousness, put over the top by Taylor’s straightforward delivery and the band’s polished, relaxed musicianship, was one-of-a-kind.

This early show ran 7-9, with a well-matched opening performance from Elroy that provided a smooth transition to Taylor’s combo. No one wanted to move at the close of the show, so afterwards, the band relaxed with listeners around the Press Room tables, passing what remained of the summer evening with a crowd that couldn’t stop smiling because of the fabulous mood they’d set.
- The Wire

Taylor has an incredible amount of vocal diversity. One moment, he can sound like Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy or Jellyfish’s Roger Manning Jr., and the next he could sound like James Taylor or even Barry Gibb. The sullenly upbeat ‘Sad and Blue’ is an example of Taylor’s range, with most of the song being very high pitched with occasional lower breaks. The chorus, simply states, “And it don’t matter if you break my stupid heart, I’ve got no place else to go”. Complemented by a dramatic violin and a light acoustic guitar, Taylor crafts a song of melancholic proportions sung with a great emotional hook. ‘Angel On My Shoulder’ is the opposite on terms of vocal delivery and mood, but the great quality is similar. Now Taylor sounds somewhat like Tweedy, with fun down-to-earth lyrics swarming over Taylor’s beloved ukulele, with a short but upbeat guitar solo rounding out the track. ‘Coming Up Roses’ serves as a tribute to Taylor’s initial influences of The Beatles and The Kinks, with a simple but effective melody and a magnetic chorus. A piano is another instrument that makes an appearance on the ambitious Fabuloso, with harmonicas also entering the mix in the more country-themed songs. If you’re looking for a new fantastic folk album with a good amount of diversity and hooks, purchasing Melvern Taylor’s Fabuloso should be one of your top priorities. - Obscure Sound Blog

Signature's Review: One day last fall the hardworking crew at Signature HQ were slaving away at our desks when someone on the phone suggested that we check Melvern Taylor & the Mel-tones' MySpace page. Within 30 seconds we were all swooning to Taylor's gorgeous falsetto fueled anthem "Sad & Blue". Taylor's classic tune instantly conjured up comparisons to everyone from Roy Orbison to Harry Nilsson. We then discovered that the rest of his repertoire was just as good.
Melvern Taylor is the most unlikely of pop geniuses. A middle age guy sporting thick glasses, pork pie hat and a ukulele, Taylor proves himself to be one of the most unique and tuneful songwriters around. Fabuloso is a tour de force of classic song styles, from the Everly Brothers shuffle of "Bettie Lou" to the country heartbreak of "Working Stiff" and the Beach Boys inspired summer pop of "Beer Cans." There isn't a weak track on the entire CD. Highly recommended. --Jim Olsen

Melvern Taylor writes happy songs about miserable people. His instrument of choice is the ukulele. They go together like milk and cookies. He learned to play guitar with an Eagles song book. He started writing songs in the 7th grade. Mostly they were about dead cats or this girl named Emily Tilghman. So far Melvern has released 3 records, Handsome Bastard, The Spider and the Barfly and Fabuloso. Slaid Cleaves covered Melvern's song "Working Stiff" on his last record. Melvern recently signed a Publishing Deal with a company called Primary Wave. They are a top notch bunch of cats.

We at Signature think Melvern is a top-notch cat, too. Who else could write (and get away with) a love song called "You and Me and My Ukelele?" His latest record, Fabuloso, is filled with witty, intelligent pop songs to which we can't help but hum along. [More Info and Sound Clips]

- Signature Sounds

With a name like Melvern Taylor, a band called the Fabulous Meltones, and a voice as smooth, airy and rounded as a tropical breeze, it’s hard to resist using words like mellifluous, mellow and meltingly beautiful to describe the suite of songs Taylor introduced to a welcoming audience at the Press Room on July 19. Taylor and his crew took the stage with an ease that matched the lazy summer evening, playing to a welcoming audience, including some who made the trek from Taylor’s hometown of Lowell, Mass. The Meltones set the tropical mood in matching guyaberas, while Taylor kept up his usual high sartorial standard in a black suit, wide red-and-black tie with natty pin, and ever-present porkpie hat.

Celebrating the re-release of “Fabuloso,” this time on Platform One, the show featured almost all 12 tracks from the album. These were sweetly catchy tunes, paired with note-perfect lead and backing vocals that communicate but never overstate.

Taylor’s influences—anything under the umbrella of 20th-century American pop—were discernible, but never dominated enough to hide the originality of the Meltones’ smooth combo sound. Wisps of Beatle-esque melodies, Elvis Costello-ish vocals, and doo-wop rhythm bass and wailing flitted by, each contributing a little musical nostalgia to the overall effect, but never getting in the way. Taylor’s floaty ukulele threaded the varied elements together like flowers on a lei.

Though the band created a smooth, pleasant wave-on-the-beach wash of sound, listeners were rewarded by staying focused on listening to the wit and heart of Taylor’s well-crafted lyrics. The love songs—just about all of them, that is—are achingly pretty but stay far from the saccharine. These are realistic love songs, clever and honest, talking of love fueled by “gas station roses and screw-top wine” and sheepishly sharing stories of bar hookups with ladies described as “100 pounds of silicone and heroin.” The blend of grit and gorgeousness, put over the top by Taylor’s straightforward delivery and the band’s polished, relaxed musicianship, was one-of-a-kind.

This early show ran 7-9, with a well-matched opening performance from Elroy that provided a smooth transition to Taylor’s combo. No one wanted to move at the close of the show, so afterwards, the band relaxed with listeners around the Press Room tables, passing what remained of the summer evening with a crowd that couldn’t stop smiling because of the fabulous mood they’d set.
- The Wire

"Melvern Taylor has superhuman pop song writing abilities." - Slaid Cleaves-Rounder Recording Artist

"Melvern Taylor has superhuman pop song writing abilities." - Slaid Cleaves-Rounder Recording Artist